Various types of equipment are used by firefighters and other first responders to protect against heat, smoke and other harsh environmental conditions. For instance, firefighters typically wear protective, fire retardant coats and pants (turnout gear), etc. In addition, firefighters carry on their back an air tank of a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) attached to a harness. While this protective gear is essential to safety, the protective equipment can make it very difficult to remove an unconscious or otherwise incapacitated firefighter from a building. Indeed, experience has shown that under various emergent circumstances, it is extremely difficult to remove a downed firefighter from a hazardous location unless some particular rescue device is employed to assist in effective and rapid removal.
Recently, consideration has been given to revise the Current National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards, in particular, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1971, to require that a DRD (drag rescue device) be incorporated into turnout coats of firefighters. In general, a DRD is some form of strap or harness device that is installed in the turnout coat for the purpose of assisting in the removal of a downed firefighter by allowing other firefighters to engage the DRD and drag the downed firefighter to safety.
Various methods for implementing a standard DRD device have been proposed. For instance, some DRD designs have been proposed which are premised on the use of a SCBA harness as a removal mechanism. However, history has proven that during emergency situations, many firefighters actually remove the SCBA and are typically found unconscious without wearing the SCBA. In this regard, during an emergent situation, it can be difficult or virtually impossible for a firefighter to put the SCBA back on the fallen firefighter to thereby deploy the removal device.
Other devices and methods have been proposed for incorporating a rescue harness as part of the protective coat of firefighters. Some rescue harness designs are based on built in harness configurations where the harness straps are attached to the protective gear in such a manner that the protective gear itself is utilized to drag a person when the harness is deployed. These harness designs are not particularly effective as the protective gear is not sufficient to securely maintain an individual that is being dragged. Other harness designs that have been proposed are complex configurations that require a firefighter to manually engage many fasteners and make various adjustments, which can be burdensome. In emergent situations, a firefighter may not have the time or desire to fully or properly engage the rescue harness, rendering the harness ineffective or useless in an emergency situation. Moreover, such complex designs can be bulky and physically restrictive when donning the protective gear.